Mail Order Mysteries Help Grow Great Kids

October always puts us in a reflective frame of mind. We find ourselves thinking about things like what we do, why we do it, how many checkmarks, prize wheels, consequences and bribes it’s actually going to take to get the kids to clear their dishes without being asked.

We all know that parenting can be mystifying. Some things come easily. Others don’t. And the hardest things to teach kids seem to be the things that are the most important, like what it takes to become resourceful and resilient, like how to engage with the world beyond screens.

Mail Order Mystery was created first and foremost of fun, but its heart is serious and its purpose intent. Among the roots of each mystery we do our best to sow the seeds of the things we most hope to grow in our own children:

1. A love of reading. We keep seeing studies about how disconnected kids feel in the age of social media. Reading is a solitary activity but it can also be rich and meaningful. It’s hard to feel alone when you have a good book for company.

2. An ability to solve problems. Parents get blamed a lot for this one, for solving our kids’ problems for them. And it may be so. But the internet solves a lot of problems too. We want our kids to learn to think of problem-solving as something that comes from within them, not from their parents or their phones.

3. Perseverance. Oh, how we wish this for our kids. It’s gut-wrenching to see a child give up.

We strive to make Mail Order Mysteries challenging, but not too difficult. And to give kids problems they want to solve. We give them some time to try and then we give them what they need to solve them on their own. And, of course, we make our mysteries fun to read and fun to do. We’re pretty sure that if clearing dishes was fun, our kids wouldn’t give us such a hard time.

And just a note: we want kids to feel good about the Mail Order Mystery experience. If your child gets stuck anywhere (especially on that tricky Spy mystery) just contact us. We are always happy to help.

We won’t be able to help with the dishes, though. You’re on your own with that one.